Storms and Flowers
by The Boulevard's Belle
Summary: Lily: Young. Insolent. Destructive. I tried to save her from the monster I had become. Now is my second chance. LightxSnow, SerahxOC *not Lily* slight AU, but based on the storyline of the game.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Why hello there! Um… this is the beginning of the end, or the beginning of something great. (Wow. Corny much?)**

**This is my first FF13 fanfiction, so here goes nothing.**

**Oh, a quick little detail before we begin. I cannot update until I progress through the game. And I'm still in Lake Bresha, unable to beat that big ass scorpion PSICOM thing. Yeah.**

**And thanks to Lexicer for beta reading!!!! :D**

**Disclaimer! I do not own FF13 or any songs I may use, (and you better believe I will) but I shall be making separate disclaimers for those. All rights go to their respective parties.**

They're doomed.

That's the conclusion Hope has come to.

Of course, most people would think the same thing if they were the ones who had been dragged into the Pulse fal'Cie by a bubbly pig-tailed girl.

_Stupid Vanille_, he thought bitterly as he watched her skip around the vestige.

But he couldn't really complain. He did _kind of_ owe the girl his life and his sanity. She had been there when that "hero" let Hope's mother die. She had stood next to Hope, watching his mother, Nora, plummet to her death.

First, his mother's death, and now he's in the company of a strange girl who didn't seem to have any knowledge of personal boundaries.

_This is going to be a long day._

"Well, since we're here, let's look around," Vanille suggests, perky as ever.

Hope simply shrugs in response.

She grins, but just as she turns on one heel, something crosses their path.

A pantheron.

But this isn't just any pantheron. This one, unlike the others who flash red, glows a bright green. The beast drools as its beady eyes focus on its unsuspecting prey. The pantheron unleashes a roar, and Vanille falls backwards, unarmed. Before Hope can pull his Airwing from his pocket, a flash falls down from the ledges above.

Hope stumbles to the ground, shielding his face.

He winces when he hears a loud smack.

Assuming that the creature has just eaten a perky-red-head sandwich, Hope gingerly opens his eyes.

But instead of seeing Vanille's pulpy, bloodstained body, he sees the pantheron's.

It's attacker?

A girl.

Although Hope can't see her well between the cracks of his fingers, he can tell that she's a skilled fighter. Not only does she wield two blades, but she knows how to use them well.

She slashes at the monster once again, and kicks the monster hard with her boot. The pantheron lunges, but she skillfully hops out of the way, puncturing its shoulder simultaneously.

Her attacks work in perfect sync with the pantheron's, which almost—_almost_—makes Hope jealous. He wants to see her features, but a royal blue hood covers her head and face.

With one final swipe, the strange breed of pantheron falls to the ground with a yelp.

The girl stares at her handiwork for a moment before nodding. Folding her swords, she slides them into two loops on either side of her shorts so that they hang at her sides.

While Hope picks himself off the floor, she wipes her hands on the front of her shirt. He shuffles over to Vanille and sheepishly helps her up.

The girl turns around to look at them.

She's definitely not someone Hope or Vanille have ever met before.

Her eyes are the color of candy apples. Light brown, layered hair cascades down her back, except for her bangs, which are clipped back with a pin. She wears a deep blue vest over a cream tank top and tan boots that reach up her thighs.

She's pale, but flush from exertion.

"Wow, that thing was a weird color!" she exclaims. Grinning, she pulls the hood away from her face.

"What _was_ that?" Vanille asks, hands on her hips.

Hope rolls his eyes. She doesn't seem the least bit affected by the fact that she almost got killed. _She's probably forgotten it happened already_, he thought.

"I don't know for sure. I just woke up here."

Vanille's shimmering jade eyes widen as Hope rolls his. This girl is clearly a joke. Probably a l'Cie ordered to kill them. "Do you remember anything?" Vanille asked.

"I remember everything up to coming here. Yeah. That sounds about right."

Hope glares at her, and she tilts her head in confusion.

_Great,_ Hope moans inwardly. _Someone else to annoy me._

"I'm Lily," she states cheerfully, and sticks out her hand.

Vanille shakes it happily and says, "Vanille."

Hope glares at the girl's thin hand. He doesn't want another girl saving his life. He can do that on his own. Hope knows he has to take care of himself now that his mother is gone.

_Gone._ The word seems so foreign, so odd.

"Who are you?" Lily smirks at him.

"Hope."

She smirks slightly. "Nice name. My friend's actually." Her grin grows wider. "_She's_ 14, like me."

Hope bares his teeth and clenches his fists. How dare she? He does get remarks like that a lot, but never from a complete stranger. She's crossing the line.

"Why are you here?" she asks directly to Vanille, ignoring Hope's annoyed curses.

Vanille simply shrugs. "Looking for someone."

"Mind if I tag along?"

Hope groans. _It really is gonna be a _long_ day_.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Whew! Chapter two! *Passes out* I hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer! I do not own any FF13 characters. One can only wish. The rights go to the respective parties**

**Thanks again to Lexicer for beta reading. :)**

**Disclaimer! I do not own "But I Can't" by Plug In Stereo, no matter how much I love it. All rights go their respective parties.**

_Take me back to the days when I could not wait to wake up,_

_weird hair,_ _didn't care what to wear cause no matter what,_

_I still felt loved._

She lied.

She lied through her grinning teeth.

And it's killing her.

Lily glances over at the young woman by the name of Vanille. The red-head notices and grins, so Lily smiles back. Her eyes dart to the moping boy on her right as they walk through the vestige. The boy, Hope, tries to avoid her gaze.

Lily sighs and shoves her hands deep into her pockets. There's something about him that reminds Lily of her brother, Zeke. But she can't quite put her finger on what. Maybe it's the way that she can pull his chain easily. Or maybe it's his eyes.

"Hey, Hope. Where're you from?" Lily asks.

"Palumpolum."

"Why'd you get Purged?"

Hope ducks his head and mumbles, "We were visiting."

"We?" Lily looks over at him, tilting her head.

He hesitates and nervously readjusts his glove. "I don't wanna talk about it."

Lily lets out a small whimper. Zeke wore gloves. He would tug on them when he was nervous too. Her eldest brother, Draven (or Dray, as Lily called him), was the calmer one. He kept the family together with his sensible words, even when their parents disappeared. In the last memory Lily has of Dray, he was 21. Zeke, whom she always called Zee, was 18. Their broad age differences didn't really affect Lily. They had practically raised her; their parents were never around.

She lied.

She isn't 14. She is _almost_ 14. Give or take three days.

But that wasn't all she had lied about.

She can only remember bits and pieces of her past.

Lily can remember her various birthdays.

Except her fourth. Nothing about her fourth birthday can come to mind.

She can't remember where her parents disappeared to and just assumes that she never knew.

Of course she remembers who she is. She's Lilia Briar, from Bodhum. She grew up there, with her brothers and her friends.

There was Griffyn, who was Draven's age. She was like an older sister to Lily. She was the one who taught Lily how to read. She can remember that event, but it's sort of hazy. Griffyn was graceful, with bright blue eyes and curly dark hair. Dray always loved her; it was _so_ obvious.

Mae, who was 16, taught Lily how to use a katana. She was a tomboy with chopped dark auburn hair. Her eyes were like liquid onyx, shining with mischief. Lily can remember her and Mae causing trouble. They would squirt water guns at the other kids in their neighborhood.

Then there were two other girls, sisters, who Lily can't remember. She can't remember their names, how they looked, or who exactly they were, but she knows that they were there. The older sister was Draven's age and the youngest was Zeke's. For some reason, she remembers something about Zeke liking the youngest sister, but she knows that can't be true. Zeke was always in love with Mae!

_Take me back to the days when losing a game was the worst thing I knew._

_Getting thrills off of little stuff that now,_

_I just can't do._

"Just trying to start a conversation," Lily mumbles.

"Yeah, well I don't want to talk. Let's just try to get out of here without getting killed," Hope snaps.

"Yeah, like that'll happen. By the looks on both of your faces, I'd say our chances are low right now."

"Did anyone ever teach you to keep your mouth shut?" Hope remarks, glaring at her.

"Did anyone ever teach you how to use a poker face?"

"Guys…" Vanille tries to end the conversation, but even now, she knows there's no stopping them.

"You have _no_ idea what you're talking about."

"You could at least try to explain it to me."

"No way."

"Hey, it's called being polite. You should try it some time," Lily snarls. She realizes that it isn't much of a comeback, but she doesn't want to waste her breath on this boy.

"_I_ need to be polite? You're the one who just jumps in front of us, and then asks for personal information like some bigoted jerk!" Hope raises his voice.

"Last time I checked, this 'bigoted jerk' saved your ass!"

"Okay! Okay!" Vanille steps in front of them. She holds her hands out in front defensively. "Stop fighting. Hope's right. We need to find a way out of here. Or, at least find who we're looking for."

Lily puts her hands on her hips and asks, "And who might that be?"

"The guy who… the guy who…" Hope's voice falters and he shakes his head. He can't bring himself to say the words that are fresh on his tongue. Vanille gives him a sad smile.

_I can't stand growing up._

_I'm going too fast._

_Well, just a second I miss my past._

_At least _someone_ understands_, Hope thinks to himself, relief washing over him.

It's then that Hope realizes that he might learn to like Vanille.

He also realizes that there is no way that he will _ever_ like Lily.

Ever.

Unbeknownst to him, Lily just came to that conclusion herself.

It's as if they were _destined_ to be enemies.

_Yeah, being old has its perks,_

_But I miss my old friends,_

_And the way the she used to be._

_I wanna start again._


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: So… review? Please? I need to know what I'm doing wrong (or right). Thanks!**

**Disclaimer! I do not own ff13. **

**Disclaimer .2! I do no own "Over My Head (Cable Car)" By The Fray. All rights go to respective parties.**

**Thanks to Lexicer for Beta reading!! **

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_Right, left._

_Don't stop moving._

_Right, left._

"It's his…" Hope's mournful words interrupt Lily's concentration. It is literally taking every ounce of energy in her shivering body to keep pressing forwards.

She is _not_ scared.

She won't let herself be.

Lily glances Hope's way to see him standing over some sort of hover bike. He rocks back and forth on his heels and swallows audibly. His distressed face stares back at him through the sterile metal as he subconsciously tugs at his gloves once more.

Lily's hard expression twinges, but she looks away. She's not about to show any weakness.

She saunters over to Hope, twisting her lips into a curious smile.

"Who's?" Lily asks, her voice laced with mischief. She reaches up to run her fingers through her hair and realizes her hood is still on. Lily flicks it off of her head quickly.

From a few feet behind them, Vanille becomes aware of something glint in the girl's caramel locks. She noticed the pin earlier. It was a normal pin that most people used to keep their hair out of their faces, but Lily's is different. It's a small gem nestled in an orb. It looks like diamond, but Vanille brushes that thought off; diamond is hard to come by.

She shrugs and turns back to inspecting another piece of machinery.

Hope doesn't respond to Lily, nor does he look up at her. As he gazes into the cabin of the bike, he runs his hand over the smooth leather interior and sucks in a quick breath. Hope yanks back his hand instinctively, rubbing it idly while Lily raises her eyebrows.

She places her own hand on the shimmering hood. It's warm from use, and it feels alien under her shaking fingertips. Lily taps her fingers rhythmically. The drumming echoes loudly throughout the vestige. The beat is soon joined by Lily's soft hums.

Hope winces when Lily slams her other hand on the hood audibly.

All of sudden, she starts banging out the rhythm with her hands on the hood of _his_ hover bike.

She does this for a few more moments while Hope watches in disbelief. His stomach flips. He glances around the area frantically. They are out of potions; if anything attacks them now, they're done for sure.

"Lily, stop!" Hope hisses, but she doesn't respond.

Instead, she starts singing softly, still rhythmically beating her hands against the hover bike. "I never knew…I never knew that everything was fallin' through…"

"Lily!" Hope screeches. She jumps back suddenly from the hover bike, as if it were engulfed in flames. At the same instant, Vanille whips around.

"What are you thinking?" Hope scolds.

Lily looks at her hands.

They've stopped shaking.

_Success! I win._

Vanille slowly makes her way towards the two younger teenagers. She didn't see what happened, but she can feel a fight coming on.

"Are you crazy?" Hope questions again. "Someone could hear us!"

"There's no one around _to_ hear us." Lily points out. To Vanille's shock, her voice is eerily calm.

"But there's the—" He stops speaking when Lily puts her fists on her hips and raises her eyebrows.

"Pantherons? We can take 'em. Don't be a baby."

He glares at her before giving up with a heavy sigh. "Fine," he murmurs, defeated. She nods approvingly and turns on one heel, away from the bike.

Vanille looks at him. She shrugs innocently, and then runs after Lily. Hope holds up the rear reluctantly. He murmurs under his breath, but no one hears him.

Suddenly, a loud noise erupts from above them.

"Serah? Can you hear me?" a male voice yells out.

Instead of calling back or wondering who shouted, Lily thinks about how ugly the name 'Serah' is. It's a common name in Bodhum. Lily, who is blessed with a rare name, despises people who don't have the decency or the courtesy to give their children something interesting to go by. Not only that, but Serah didn't have a nickname. Ezekiel (Zeke's full name) did, as did Lilia. She had always admired that fact.

"He's here," Hope whispers, popping Lily's imaginary thought bubble.

"Who?" she impulsively questions. She can't hold back her curiosity any longer.

"What's it matter to a l'Cie?" He blurts. Hope hastily covers his mouth his hand, but it's too late. Everyone in the small group stops walking. Vanille braces herself for another battle royale.

Lily stares at him blankly for a moment before erupting into a fit of laughter. As she giggles, she tosses him a look that makes him feel like an idiot.

She never actually answers his question. She just shakes her head and continues to trudge on.

A while later, the group comes to a platform.

Lily blinks and rubs her eyes.

Hope crosses his arms and glares at her.

Vanille sighs and wearily looks at them both.

All of a sudden, ugly creatures surround them. They are a vomit-brown with thirsty, bright red eyes. Shaking and quivering, they come from all directions. Lily begins to shake again as she draws her swords. The zombie-esque monsters lust for a meal, and she knows it.

She also knows there is no way she's getting out of this one.

As they close in, Lily turns to look at Hope.

"If I were a l'Cie, I would've killed myself by now."


End file.
